Six Degrees of Separation
by Kuma the wolf alchemist
Summary: A string of one shots that depict the snowball effect of Gray asking Lucy on a date and forming a deeper bond. Three people are left to try to pick up the pieces of their broken hearts. Will they fight for the ones they love, or simply let it go? Main Pairing: Lucy/Gray
1. 1st Degree

Six Degrees of Separation

**[1/6]**

1. First, You Think The Worst Is A Broken Heart

It was common knowledge that Natsu Dragneel was a hot-head, but for the past few days he had been oddly quiet. Quiet was not something that Natsu did, which worried those who came in contact with him.

"Natsu," Happy whined from beside him. The Exceed was worried about his friend. Instead of going to the guild when they woke up, the Dragon Slayer walked aimlessly around town- his head down in thought. "What's wrong?" Happy frowned when he didn't answer, feeling a twinge of hurt that his best friend was being so distant. "Natsu!"

Natsu was in his own world, his feet carrying him where ever they pleased. He just didn't care anymore. All he could think about was how much his heart hurt and how much he wanted to tell Lucy what he should have told her months ago. But, it was too late now- he had lost. Like a broken record, the conversation he had heard between Lucy and Gray played again and again.

_"Lucy, I…can I ask you something?" Gray stuttered nervously. The two mages were in a local park- just finishing a job and deciding to take the long way home. When someone mentioned that the two had left the guild without him, Natsu raced after them, not wanting to feel left out. He wished he would have just stayed at the guild for a while longer. _

"_What is it?" Lucy questioned, brown eyes wide with concern._

"_Well,I…I just…" The ice mage finally took a deep breath to collect his thoughts before saying: "Will you go on a date with me?"_

_Natsu blinked in confusion. Gray wanted to go on a date with Lucy? __**His **__Lucy? What possessed him to want that? Natsu strained his already sensitive hearing to catch Lucy's answer. It had to be 'no', right?_

_Lucy looked surprised at the questioned, mouth slightly parted in shock, before smiling at him. It was the same smile that he had become use to seeing everyday- the smile that he fell for. Much to Natu's surprised her answer was: "I would love to Gray!"_

_It was there in the middle of the park on a warm summer day that Natsu experienced heartbreak. He watched as Lucy walked away with his rival- unable to bring himself to call out to her and ask her to reconsider. He trudged to his house, fighting the urge to go to Lucy's apartment. He knew he could not act like he didn't hear the exchange between the two._

When Natsu finally took his eyes off the ground he found himself in the same park that caused his pain. It was a beautiful park that even he enjoyed walking through, but now it harbored a painful memory that would not leave his mind. "I wonder," He muttered to himself, catching Happy's attention. This was the first sentence he had said in a few hours. "If there's anything worse than a broken heart…"

* * *

Author's Corner:

~Welcome to my first Fairy Tail story! This has been on my mind for awhile so I finally made time to write it. The song that this series is based off is Six Degrees of Separation by The Script. There's six degrees so there will be six one-shot like chapters with possibly an epilogue. I hope all who reads this series enjoys and if you have a question or comment leave it in a review!

~I do not own the song Six Degrees of Separation nor do I own Fairy Tail


	2. 2nd Degree

Six Degrees of Separation

**[2/6]**

2. What's Going to Kill You Is The Second Part

Juvia Lockser trotted happily to the guild from her apartment- excited to see what the day would bring at the rowdiest guild in Fiore. She glanced down at the little lunch box in her hands with a smile- she couldn't wait to give this to Gray and see if he would possibly except her love today. If there was one thing in the world she wanted it was his love.

Upon arriving at the guild, she glanced around for the ice-make mage, however he was nowhere in sight. With a sigh, she made her way to the bar where Mira approached her with a smile.

"How are you today Juvia?" Mira asked, placing a glass of orange juice in front of her.

"Juvia is doing okay, but have you seen Gray?" She replied, itching to find where her love was. To her surprise Mira looked at the water mage with sadness in her eyes. "What is wrong?"

"Juvia there's something you should know," Mira started, glancing around nervously. She looked Juvia in the eye and said: "Gray went out on a date with Lucy yesterday."

Juvia blinked, not fully understanding what the barmaid just told her. "What?" Juvia jumped when she heard the guild doors open, hoping it was Gray. Gray walked in with Lucy, the two laughing over something that was unknown to Juvia. They weren't hold hands or touching in any way that would make them look like a couple. She wanted to turn to Mira and say 'look they don't look like their dating', but Levy sprinted over to the two and asked: "So how was your date?"

Juvia wasn't sure what to do, but inside she could feel her heart break. Had she really lost to her rival, Lucy? She was sure she loved Gray much more then Lucy ever could, and she was sure that Lucy and Natsu should be together.

"Juvia," Mira called softly, causing the rain woman to look at her. She looked at her with concern- as if to ask her if she was okay.

Though tears were starting to well up in her eyes and she could feel her control over her power slipping, she smiled. The smile was forced and nowhere near her eyes as she said: "Juvia will be fine." She stood up, abandoning the lunch she had brought for Gray. As she began her walk to the front door of the guild she made eye contact with Lucy and from the shocked look on Lucy's face Juvia knew Lucy could see the hurt in her eyes. Lucy moved as if to follow after the water mage, but Juvia shook her head. She wasn't ready to talk to Lucy yet, she was still trying to keep her heat intact enough to go home and probably flood her apartment with her tears and personal rain clouds. There was a part of her that wanted to fight Lucy, to prove that she was better than Lucy, but Juvia knew that it would be a poor idea.

Lucy and Mira were the only two to notice Juvia slip out of the guild and into the busy streets of Magnolia, power walking to her apartment. Luckily it was only a few blocks away and in less than ten minutes she was lying on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. Everything made sense now. Juvia understood why Gray shied away from her advances. He was in love with Lucy. Well, maybe not in love, but he had feelings for the blond that he did not have for her. When the revelation came to her she felt even worse. It was worse than a broken heart, if that was possible. It was the feeling of knowing that she could never measure up to Lucy, who was such a compassionate girl, and though she was not the strongest girl in Fairy Tail, she never gave up and fought with everything she had. It killed Juvia that she could never measure up the Celestial mage in the eyes of Gray- the one who showed her kindness even when she was the enemy of Fairy Tale when they first met.

Juvia cried until she was exhausted and numb. She stared at the ceiling absently, not knowing what to do with herself. She couldn't go back to the guild and she had no energy left to do anything productive. So she continued to lay there and attempt to put a wall around her fragile heart. It was the only thing she knew to do.

_**[First**__, you think the worst is a broken heart_

_What's going to kill you is the __**second**__ part. ]_


	3. 3rd Degree

Six Degrees of Separation

**[3/6]**

3. Is When You're World Splits Down the Middle

Lisanna looked at the Dragon Slayer with concern. Why was he being so distant and quiet, and even when he tried to engage in a conversation it was like he was only half-listening. She decided to get to the bottom of it. Spotting him walking out of the guild with a job request sheet in his hand, she darted after him, refusing to let him leave without getting an explanation for his change in mood.

"Natsu!" She called after him, running to catch up with him and his Exceed. Gesturing to his job request, she asked: "Where are you going?"

"Just a few towns away," He replied. "There's a minor league dark guild trying to take over the town."

"Oh?" She replied, trying to smile, but it was hard watching him try to keep up his happy façade. "You're not taking Lucy or any of your teammates?" Something flashed in his eyes that she wasn't prepared to see. Hurt and sadness clouded his eyes for a brief moment at the mention of Lucy's name. Had they gotten in a fight? And even if they did the fight wasn't usually very serious.

"No," He replied with a surprising edge to his voice. He quickly tried to cover it up by saying: "They're all busy!"

Lisanna frowned, her nose scrunching up with worry. "Natsu…what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," He replied. "I need to get going so I can be at the town by night fall."

"Wait!" She cried, catching his arm before he could walk away. "Please don't lie to me Natsu. I'm really worried about you…please don't shut me out."

Natsu frowned, not wanting to spill his emotions. But this was Lisanna- his childhood best friend, so he should be able to tell her these things- right? "I guess I have a little time before I need to go."

With a smile, Lisanna let go of his arm and the two began to walk at a steady pace. She waited patiently for him to talk, not wanting to push him anymore. He led her to a local park not far from the guild that she often walked through and admired the beauty of it.

"This…" He began, in a soft voice that she wasn't accustom to hearing. "This is where Gray asked Lucy on a date the other day. At first I didn't think he was serious, but I know Gray…he wouldn't ask her if he wasn't serious." Lisanna stayed quiet, trying to figure out why it was significant to him. Shouldn't he be happy that his teammates decided to try to forge a deeper relationship? "I really like Lucy," he shook his head. "Actually I love her."

Lisanna's blue eyes widened in shock; he loved Lucy? She knew they were best friends, but she had no clue how attached to her he was. "Love her?"

Natsu nodded slowly, arms crossed. He starred out in the distance to nothing in particular. "She's my partner and best friend. I don't really know how it happened, but it did."

_He loves her, _was all Lisanna could think. Ever since she was young Lisanna had feelings for Natsu that grew into something more than a crush. However, now was not the time to try to make that known to Natsu- he was hurting. Trying to keep her voice from shaking, she said: "Well it was only one date, right? It's not like they're getting married. And who knows, maybe they're just dating for fun."

Natsu shook his head. He might be dense at times, but he wasn't stupid. "I know Lucy. She wouldn't date him unless she held feelings for him too, and the same with Gray. He wouldn't ask Lucy unless he was seriously interested in her." He sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I know I should be happy for them, but…I love her. I've known her longer, so why should he have the right to date her?"

Lisanna didn't have an answer for him- trying to ward off the numb feeling that was forming in her stomach. She could tell by the tone of his voice how hurt he was. "Are you going to fight for her?"

It was his first instinct to fight for what he wanted, but this wasn't just a normal battle and he didn't know how to go about it. With a sigh, he shrugged: "I…I'm not sure how to."

"If you want to…I can help," She replied. It tore her up to have to offer, but she couldn't stand seeing him like this. "We can think of something to get her to notice your feelings for her."

Natsu 's face brightening slightly. "You would do that?"

Lisanna forced a believable smile. "Of course I would. I would do anything for you."

Natsu smiled, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Thank you so much Lisanna!"

"You're welcome."

She watched him walk away from her a little happier, which made her happy- though she couldn't choke the numb feeling out her stomach. She just offered to help the man she loved try to win another girl's heart. How twisted was that? And honestly, she felt her world crack a little knowing she could possibly loose his heart forever.

[**First, **you think the worst is a broken heart

What's going to kill you is the **second **part.

And the **third**, is when your world spits down the middle]

* * *

Author's Corner:

~Thank you to all who have favorited or followed this story! Any comments/questions/concerns can be left in a review! Have a good day!


	4. 4th Degree

Six Degrees of Separation

**[4/6]**

4. You Think That You Fixed Yourself

Juvia walked into the guild for the first time in three days. She finally felt like she had enough grip on herself to go out in public and possibly find a job.

"Good morning, Juiva!" Mira greeted with a warm smile. "How are you?"

Juvia tired her best to show Mira a convincing smile. "Juvia is fine Mira, how are you?"

"Oh same old, same old," Mira replied, wiping out a glass mug. "You haven't been around the guild for a while, did you take a job?"

"Oh no, Juvia simply needed a few days off," The water mage replied. "Though Juiva could use some extra money."

Juvia found herself scanning the room for any signs of Gray or Lucy- so far she found none. The day she found out about the love of her life dating her rival she had shattered- her heart breaking, but now she was simply numb. Had she gotten over Gray that quickly?

"Juvia, would you like something to eat?" Mira asked, breaking Juvia out of her day dream.

"Oh, yes please. Whatever you have is fine, Juvia isn't picky."

As she waited for her food, she stared at the rowdy members of her guild with amusement. Seeing them so happy brought her spirit up, but this did not last long. Lucy and Gray walked into the guild, walking closer than usual to each other- their shoulders brushed each other. Her instincts took over and she dove behind a pillar before Lucy or Gray could spot her. She cursed herself for being so weak and not being able to face them. The two walked over to Mira and inquired where Natsu was.

"He didn't tell you? He took a job two days ago," Mira replied.

"Oh…he didn't tell us," Lucy replied, her tone indicating that her feelings where hurt. "Why wouldn't he tell us?"

Mira shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he got so excited that he just forgot."

"Maybe, but I doubt," Gray replied. "Do you know when he'll be back?"

"I'm guessing tomorrow or the day after," Mira replied. "The job shouldn't be too hard for a wizard of his caliber."

As Juvia eavesdropped on the conversation, just hearing Gray's voice caused her prior numbness to turn into internal pain. She thought that being away from the guild for a few days would help, but if anything the pain came back with a vengeance. She decided that she should leave while she still had a handle on her water abilities, and the guild wouldn't be at risk of having a flash flood.

"Hey Juvia," She heard Lucy call out to her. Juvia kept her back towards Lucy as she asked: "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Juvia bit her lip in an effort to keep herself from crying. All she could think about was that the girl she had started calling a friend betrayed her. "Juvia is very busy right now. Perhaps another time?"

"Yeah…sure," Lucy replied dejectedly.

Juvia power walked out of the guild and back to her apartment. She wasn't any better now than she was three days ago. If possible she felt worse- as if she was going through the initial heartbreak again. When she arrived inside of her home she slid down the door and onto the wood floor- her face buried in her hands as she sobbed. "I don't understand where I went wrong…"

* * *

"Natsu!"

Natsu jumped slightly at the sound of his name being called, but quickly recovered- sending a smile the blonde's way. He hadn't seen her in a week, because of the job he took. The job was only supposed to take a day or two at most, but complications kept him fighting the dark guild longer- he also refused to take the train back which forced him to walk back. "Hey Luce, what's up?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" She replied, with her hands on her hips. "Why did you take a job without telling me? Mira was the one who had to tell me you took one!"

"Well you were busy so…"

"You still could have come by my house and told me," She replied, her tone softening. "Natsu, I'm not mad that you took the job…I'm just kind of upset that you didn't tell me. I mean we're partners..."

Natsu sighed; he didn't mean to make Lucy upset- he just wanted to blow off some steam. "Sorry Lucy, I just figured you were busy."

Lucy tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Busy with what?"

"You know…going on dates with Gray," He replied, trying to keep his face neutral so Lucy wouldn't have to see him scowl as he said his rival's name.

"I may be dating Gray, but I'm never too busy to work, silly! I still need to pay my rent which is due soon! I thought you'd back sooner so we could go on a job together," She replied with a smile.

_Dating Gray, huh? _He thought to himself. _Just as I thought…I had a feeling it would be more than one date. _"Why don't you take a job with him then?"

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know, I just wanted to go on a job with you."

Natsu stayed quiet for a moment. He wanted to go on jobs with her, but he didn't know if he could be around her for long. He had a feeling that if Gray and Lucy began to get more serious things would change. He wouldn't be able to sneak into her house and especially not her bed- Gray might seriously try to kill him. Natsu didn't want things to change like this. It was one thing to lose her heart, but another to lose his place in her life. With a shaky smile, he said: "Maybe we could try to find a job later in the week, 'kay?"

"Are you okay?" She asked, concern flashing her brown eyes. "You seem really tense."

"I'm fine!" He replied quickly. "Just really tired, I think I'm going to head home."

"Well…okay then," She said, not wanting to push him. "We'll start looking for jobs soon, okay?"

"You got it!" He replied, heading to his house. Once his back was turned towards her he let his smile fall into a frown. He just couldn't bring himself to go on a job with her- not when he didn't know where he stood with her. He thought that taking a job by himself would ease his mind; however he still had a numb feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was if something, or someone, was missing. "Maybe I'm over thinking this…It's not like their getting married or anything." He just couldn't get rid of the sinking feeling that if he did not say or do something soon, he might never have a chance at Lucy's heart.

[**First, **you think the worst is a broken heart

What's going to kill you is the **second **part.

And the **third**, is when your world spits down the middle.

**Fourth, **you're gonna think that you fixed yourself]


	5. 5th Degree

Six Degrees of Separation

**[5/6]**

5. You See Them Out With Someone Else

Gray watched Lucy walk along the ledge that bordered the river and the sidewalk in amusement. He had been dating the Celestial Mage for about a month now. Just the thought of being able to date her brought a smile to his face. She was beautiful inside and out, and felt lucky to be the guy to take her out. She could have any guy in Fiore, yet she chose to spend time with him.

Though he was happy with his budding relationship; some of his other relationships began to shift. One of them being between him and Natsu. Gray always considered Natsu as a brother- fighting alongside of him and with him strengthened their bond, however lately something seemed to be off between them. Natsu did not talk to him much and when they did talk it soon turned into a verbal fight, which quickly turned into a fist fight. Fist fights were normal, but it was different now. It was if Natsu was out to actually hurt him like he was an enemy. Gray also noticed that Juvia did not talk to him at all. Usually she would walk up to him and try to have a casual conversation with him (though it soon turned into confessing her love), but now she was rarely at the guild for long. She would either eat and go home; or leave quickly to go on a mission.

"So where are we going?" Lucy asked, jumping down from the ledge.

"You'll see."

"I hope you know I'm not dressed to go somewhere fancy."

Gray glanced over to her blue and white sundress, rolling his eyes. "You look fine." He took her hand, leading her down a street where the restaurant sat.

"Gray I don't look good enough for this," Lucy said softly. The restaurant was one of the best in town and she felt underdressed, though she was happy that he was offering to take her to such a place.

Gray gently moved a piece of her hair back in place and smoothed out her bangs. "You look beautiful. Let's go get some food."

Lucy grinned at his gentle touch, taking his hand and letting him escort her into the upscale restaurant where they were quickly seated outside. The restaurant was built next to the river that flowed throughout Magnolia, giving it a calming tone.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom real quick," Lucy announced after they ordered their drinks.

Gray guessed that the blond was going to fix her make up (which he thought looked fine, but when it came to her make up his opinion really didn't matter). Since he had a moment to think, he pondered on how he would ask Lucy to officially be his girlfriend. He had given the matter a lot of thought, and knew that it was what he wanted.

"Gray."

Gray was taken out of his thoughts by someone he least expected- Natsu. The Dragon Slayer stood on the other side of the railing of the deck, his arms crossed and eyes steeled.

"What's up man?" Gray questioned, worried that something was wrong with the guild. "Is the guild okay?"

"The guild's fine," Natsu replied. He sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides. "I'm guessing you're here with Lucy." Gray nodded, still unsure where this was going. "I have a question for you then."

"What is it?"

"Are you going to ask Lucy to be your girlfriend tonight?" He asked. Natsu wasn't stupid. When he saw Gray lead Lucy to this restaurant he knew the ice-make wizard was going to ask. It's where Natsu would have taken her if he had the chance.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask her tonight," Gray replied. "Why?"

"If she says yes, you have to promise me something."

"What?"

"Promise me that you'll never break her heart," He said, his voice softer then Gray had ever heard it. "You have to promise me that you'll never make her cry. It's one thing if your relationship just doesn't work out, but if you purposely hurt her I promise I'll kill you."

Natsu wanted to fight Gray for Lucy's love. Lisanna had encouraged him to confess to Lucy so maybe she could think about Natsu's feelings; but Natsu knew that if Lucy wanted to date Gray, she would. In the end, he wanted her to be happy- even if that meant that his place in her life would change.

"I promise," Gray replied, holding out his closed fist.

Natsu looked him in the eye, seeing nothing but honesty. He lifted his arm to bump fists with his rival, before turning away to head home.

"Natsu?" Natsu turned to see Lucy walking toward the table- a fresh coat of mascara on her eye lashes. Didn't she understand that she didn't need that? "What are you doing here?"

He forced a smile, saying: "I was just walking around and saw Gray sitting out here. You two on a date?"

Lucy blushed, "Yeah, we are."

"Well, have fun and don't stay out too late!" He joked.

Lucy waved him away. "Yeah, yeah."

Natsu flashed her one last smile before turning to continue his walk home. He was never one to simply give up, but what could he do? He didn't know why, but he found himself titling his head back to get a glimpse of her face again. When he looked at her she was looking at Gray in confusion, as if Gray was stumbling to ask a question; before a wide, breathtaking smile took over her face. He loved that smile, even if it wasn't directed towards him. Natsu didn't need to hear their conversation to know that Lucy decided to become Gray's girlfriend.

[**First, **you think the worst is a broken heart

What's going to kill you is the **second **part.

And the **third**, is when your world spits down the middle.

**Fourth, **you're gonna think that you fixed yourself.

**Fifth, **you see them out with some else.]

* * *

Authors Corner:

~Well we're almost at the end, and I'd like to thank those who have reviewed/followed/favorite this story.

~I have another Gray/Lucy story I am currently writing called Roads Untraveled- go check it out if you want *shamelessly advertising*


End file.
